Today I invite you to enjoy some delicious smoked barbecue pork ribs that are incredibly juicy and tender. The secret to that juiciness is an ingredient that, once you try it, you won't want to live without on grilling days: apple juice.
Besides the juice, to take the ribs' browning and aroma up a notch, I suggest glazing them a few minutes before finishing roasting with one of the Traeger sauces and glazes I like most, the Traeger'QUE. I love its slightly smoky flavor with notes of hickory, brown sugar and tangy vinegar, which pairs wonderfully with pork and is also perfect for accompanying any food.
If you also have the option to smoke the meat with pellets, don't hesitate! And I suggest you do it with an applewood or hickory pellet. Although with any fruit-tree wood pellet, the smoky flavor in the meat is delicious.
Plug in the grill and take out the meat, we're off to the recipe!
Ingredients (for 6 people)
- 3 medium pork rib racks
- Salt
- Pepper
- Traeger'QUE Sauce by Traeger
- Half a liter of apple juice, to spray the ribs
Preparation
- Light the grill and set the temperature of your Traeger pellet grill (or the grill you have at home) to 105 °C and preheat it with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, clean the rib rack, removing excess fat.
- Salt the pieces to taste on both sides and add freshly ground pepper (also to taste).
- Place the racks of ribs on the grill and let them cook, for now, for 30 minutes (the total cooking time will be about 2 and a half hours). Remember to keep the lid closed to make the most of the heat and also achieve that delicious smoky flavor.
- Put the apple juice in a jar or spray bottle, or a squeeze bottle.
- After 30 minutes, spray the ribs with the apple juice.
- Repeat step number 6 every 30 minutes, until the ribs are ready (the total time at 105 °C will be approximately 2 and a half hours).
- Check the internal temperature of the ribs with a meat thermometer (nothing like the classic Meater thermometer for this), to know if they are done. The desired internal temperature should be 95° C.
- When they are almost done, 5 minutes before taking them off the grill, generously brush the ribs with Traeger'QUE sauce. Brush both sides.
- Remove the ribs from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
- Try not to skip spraying with apple juice: it helps achieve extremely tender meat.
- You can season the meat to your liking, with your favorite glaze, the one you usually make at home, or with another Traeger glaze sauce (they all give a wonderful glaze). On the blog we have the brown sugar glaze recipe for meats, which is delicious. You can see how to prepare it in two different ways here.
- Serve the ribs with a hearty salad, which will also be refreshing and always welcome to round out a good meal.
I can't end this article without reminding you that pellet grills combine the benefits of charcoal and gas electric grills. Traeger are number 1 in the world! If you're considering buying a grill, consider getting a Traeger, you won't have tried another like it. You can find all the information about these grills in this post, and you'll see Traeger grills here.
